Winter Park Jazz Festival, Saturday and Sunday

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WINTER PARK - Jazz music will fill Hideaway Park as part of the "Big Weekend" this Saturday and Sunday.The 30th Jazz Festival features Colorado talent, Hazel Miller and Dotsero, and includes a mix of artists such as R&B singer Charlie Wilson, blues artist Joe Louis Walker, and young multi-genre saxophonist Eric Darius, among others.The music begins on Saturday with Dotsero at noon and culminates on Sunday evening with headliner David Sanborn, sharing the stage with Brian Culbertson. Sanborn is "One of the most commercially successful American saxophonists," according to his website. Sanborn has won six Grammy Awards, has had eight Gold albums and one Platinum, and is releasing his 26 album, "Then Again: The David Sanborn Anthology" on July 31.He hosted his own television show from 1988-1990 called "Night Music." Sanborn played a solo in the theme song for the NBC hit drama L.A. Law and did film scoring for movies Lethal Weapons 2, 3 and 4 and "Scrooged." His single "Seduction" was featured in the movie "American Gigolo."Conversation with David SanbornSanborn began playing the saxophone when he was 3 years old. It was used as part of his therapy after he contracted polio to improve his breathing.Do you still suffer from any of the effects of your childhood polio disease?"I have balance problems. I have weakness in my left hand and muscle spasms. I've been dealing with it so long, it has become second nature."One of Sanborn's earliest gigs after college was playing with the Blues Butterfield Band, which led him to playing with Paul Butterfield at Woodstock.How was the experience of playing at Woodstock?"It didn't seem like it was important at the time. Nobody realized it was going to be as significant as what it turned out to be. We had no idea how it would strike a nerve with people. It was just one of the many music concerts going on in the '60s."Sanborn has played with the greats of every genre - the Rolling Stones, for instance - toured with Stevie Wonder and David Bowie, collaborated with James Taylor and Paul Simon and a has been a session player with numerous artists including James Brown, Cat Stevens, Roger Daltrey, Kenny Loggins, Bruce Springsteen, Little Feat, Al Jarreau, Kenny G, George Benson, Elton John, Carly Simon, Billy Joel, and the list goes on.What was it like performing with Mick Jagger?"I've known Mick for a long time. He is a good friend of mine. He is a great guy, down to earth. He has always been very friendly. It was an interesting collaboration."You have played your saxophone with some of the best and met others through your television show, such as Billie Holiday. Who has been your brush with greatness?"There have been so many - Miles Davis, Eric Clapton, Buddy Rollins. They are my friends but they still knock me out. I can be sitting in the studio playing with one of them and I think, "This guy is good!" I have been fortunate to play with people that have been my musical heroes."Performing as long as you have, what is it like now compared to the early days?"I'm a little bit better at it. I pace myself better. With maturity you have more material to draw from. You can reflect on your experience."What do you still want to accomplish?"Continue to be better at what I do. More effectively play the music I hear in my head. It is always changing and evolving. To have immediate access to what I hear in my head."Did you plan to arrive where you are in your career?"No, no. I had no plan. I just followed my instinct. Luck and being at the right place at the right time. A lot of happy accidents."What do you do in your free time?"What is free time? Spending time with my family. Being a musician is not a job, it is a way of life. Music is a metaphor for living."Tell us about your new release."Then Again" is a representation of songs that I have done since 1975. It is a collection of personally selected songs that I put together myself. Some of the songs have been on other CDs but most have never been heard." (Then and Again will be available for purchase at the Jazz Festival.)As for playing at the Winter Park Jazz Festival ..."It is a beautiful place. Playing a wind instrument is tough (at altitude). I hope everyone has a great time and enjoys the music and hopefully we can share something meaningful."What are the words you live by?"Keep learning."